Ignition device for automobile torpedoes.



I PATENTED FEB. 25, 1908. P. M. LEAVITT. r IGNITION DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE TORPEDOES.

APPLICATION I ISLED FEB. 16. 1907.

FIG. 1 .5

V n I a 1 V villi/11111111111110 INVENTOR 1 En STATES rernnr onnron.

FRANK M. LEAVITT, OF NEW YO K, N- Y., ASSIGNOR TO E. W. BLISS COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

IGNITION DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE TOBPEDOES,

No. 880,029. Specification of Application filed February 16. 1907. Serial No. 357.629-.

-a combustible in such manner as to heat the air. The ignition of this combustible should be eifected upon or soon after the launching of the'torpe'do, and shortly after the starting of the engine or motor. Suitable igniting mechanisms for accom lishing this result are set forth in myUnite States'Patents Nos. 693,872 dated February25, 1902 and 825,914 dated July 17, 1906: g

The present'invention provides an improvement upon the igniting devices set orth in said patents.

According to the present invention the igniter cannot be operated until the engine or propeller shaft has made a redetermined number of turns. According y it is impossible for the'igniter to be prematurely operated whereby it might fail to ignite the com-' bustible charge.

In the accompanying drawings ,Figure 1 is a vertical section of the middle portion of a edo, showing generally theiparts pertaining to the present invention; 2 1s a vertical midesection on a larger sea e of the igniting mechanism; Fig. 3 is a detail on a larger scale of the means for setting the igniter operation from the engine or propeller shaft; Fig. 4 is a-'section similar to Fig. 2 but showing the parts after operation. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section showing a modification. I

Referring to Fig. 1, A designates the compressed air reservoir or flash, from which by a suitable pipe a compressed air is conveyedto the motor 'or engineB, the latter being here shown as a fluid pressure turbine. This turbine drives (either directly or through gearing contained in a housing B) the pro.-

, peller shaft A. The pipe (1. ordinarily leads valvea shown in dotted lines.

through a charging valve a and a starting C is a chamber containing the combustible, usually alcohol, which it feeds through a pipe 6 into a space V beneath the Letters Patent. PatentedFeb. 25, 1908.

receptacle D wherein the combustion occurs. As shown, this receptacle is conveniently 'located in the reservoir A, although it may be placed anywhere where the burning of the combustible may serve to' heat the compressed air and expand it before it reaches the engine. H is the igniter, which comprises acartridger located'in the receptacle D, where asit burns it will ignite the combustible therein. For operating the igniter, a lock or cocking mechanism J is provided, which comprises a shell I having a cap P which when removed ermits the insertion of the igniter through this shell and through a tube (1 into the recepatcle D. The igniter'. comprises atube -s carrying at its lower end the slow-burning cartridge 1' having a percussion ca 1"; within the tube 8 moves a firingin having ahead Qwhich is ressed down ya spring S, but when set ig. 2) is held bya tooth l which acts as a triggersear. This tooth is conveniently formed on a plunger L working as a piston in a cylindrioal chamberformed in the shell I, and normally pressed down by a s ring 6 which reacts against the cap is. Wl i first inserted, the head Q of its firing-pin is P is screwed down the spring S is compressed (see Fig. 2); the igniter is operated by pushing up the plunger L (as hereinafter described); thereby Withdrawing the tooth Z so that the spring S throws down the firing-pin Q and explodes the cap 1' causing the, cartridge 1"to burn andipgnitingthe alcohol in. the receptacle D. s the heated compressed air flows out from the reservoir A to the engine, the diminution of pressure ermits the compressed air above the liqui in the chamber C to, expel a continual stream of alcohol, which continues to burn during substantially the entire run of the torpedo. .AS thus far described the present conforth in my said previous patents.

According to my resent invention the plunger L is operated y a difference in fluid ressuresabove and beneath it, which diference is determined by an escape of pressure caused by a predetermined movement or run of the engine. To accomplish this result-in a simple manner, a chamber or serve as a pressure cham er, while the chamber or space V- above it serves as a relief en the igniteris stopped against the tooth Z, and as the cap struction does not differ-from those set plunger is made to chamber. In charging the reservoir A with compressed air, the latter is admitted in any suitable way to the chamber V. Thus, this chamber may be'permanently connected to the reservoir A; or, as shown in Figs. 2 and. 4, it is in communication with the tube (1 by a minute bore or duct '0, so that the comressed air freely passes u through the tube 5 and into the shell I, an through the duct v into the chamber V. At the same time com ressed air is admitted also to the chamber preferably through a minute bore 0, thus establishing therein a pressure equal to that in V". In place 'of the bores 'v '0, the plunger may be made a loose fit, so that the eakage around it may serve the same purpose. Thus the plunger L is balanced between the equal pressures above and below it. The chamber V may be permanently connected with the reservoir bya bore v as shown-in Fig; 5.

The chamber V communicates by a small tube or duct to with an escape device Y o erated from the engine by a' device Z. The escape d'evice Y might be any sort of relief valve adapted to be opened with certainty by the operation of the'part-Z; butas such valves are somewhatunreliable, I prefer to make the relief device Y a frangible or puncturable part, and to construct the o rat-ing device Z as a knife, cutter,'or uncliwhich will break or cut the part Y. T 's construe-- tion is clearly shown in Fig. 3, where the 1 part Y consists .of a copper or other soft metal capsule or diaphragm which is confined by a clam or 11111011 y against the end of the tube, w. he cutter Z is connected in-- any suitable manner with-the engine, so as to be operated after the engine has executed a certain predetermined run, or in other words, has 'Inade a definite number of turns. A convenient way of accomplishing this result is that shown in Fig. 1, where a worm a: is provided Jon the pro eller shaft A and drives a worm wheel a w 'ch carries the cuttervZ. By setting the wheel 2 or the, cutter thereon so that the latter is backed off a certain distance'fromthe frangible capsuleY,

I it is easy to determinethe number of turns the propeller shaft must make before the cutter shall encounter and break the cap' sule Y. l V

The operationis as follows :Upon launching the torpedo, its engine is started by the operation of a starting valve in the ordinary manner. As the engine runs, compressed air, flows from the reservoir to theengme and consequently the pressure inthe reservoir diminishes, and as it falls below the air pressure in the chamber C the alcohol begins to flow over from this chamber into the reee tacle D. It is now ready for ignition. T e preliminary runof the engine carries the cuti -ter;Z- through its first idle movement until it encounters the'capsule Y, and cuts, breaks the stress of its springje, and thereby removes the toothl from the head Q and consequently permits the firing pin to act and explode the cartridge and ignite the combustible in the receptacle D; To restore the parts for another operation, it is necessary to renew the cartridge 1- and capr'; to reset the igniter to refill the chamber C with alcohol; to replace the broken capsuleY with a new one; and to reset,the wheel 2 or cutter Z. with the latter sufliciently removed from the capsule to provide for the desired number of turns of the engine. A new charge of the reservoir.

' I/V'th this apparatus it is impossible to o erate the igniter before the requisite supp y of combustible shall-have entered'the receptacle D, because. in setting the cutter Z provision is made for a suflicient duration of run of the engine toinsure against this possibilitv. The plunger .L is operated with mathematical certainty by the sudden escape of pressure above it, and the conse uent forcible expansion of the, air beneat it. The breaking of the capsule Y affords a certain means of insuring the liberation of pressure above the plunger. Y The invention is susceptible of considera'rid mode of application. For example it is not essential that the moving part which 0 erates the tooth or trigger-sear Z shall take t e form of a plunger L; nor that the frangible part Y shall take the form of a ca or compressed air must of course be. forced into v iable m'odificatign in details of construction i capsule, since any e'asily breakablewa of a cartridge operated by a percussion cap; nor that the igniter involve a firing pin," as any movable part released by any art in be liquid; nor-that the ignition be effected by" the nature of a trigger will be applicab le with this invention. p

I claim as my invention:*

1. In an automobile torpedo, the combination of 'a heater for compressed air, an igniter in said'heater, and means for o erating' the igniter comprising a art mova ble through a prescribed space efore it reaches lts operative --position, and engine connections for moving saidpart through such space while the engine is executing a predetermined number of revolutions.

2. ignition mechanism for an automobile torpedo comprising a movable part restrained by fluid pressure, and means operated by the engine for relieving the pressure to permit the movement of said part.

3. An ignition mechanism foran automobile torpedo comprising a shell, a movable part therein, means for admitting fluid pressure thereto on opposite sides of said part, and means operated by the'engine for relicving the pressure to-permit the movement of said par 4. An ignition mechanism for an automobile torpedo comprising a movable part restrained by fluid pressure, means for relieving the pressure to permit movement of said part, and a connection With the engine ada )t-ed to operate said means'upon a prescri ed movement of the engine.

5. An ignition mechanism for an automobile torpedo comprising a movable. part restrained by fluid pressure, means for relieving the pressure to permit movement of said part, and reducing gearing connecting said means With the engine to operate it upon a prescribed movement of the engine.

6. An ignition mechanism for an automobile torpedocomprising a pressure-operated movable part, a frangible part adapted to confine the pressure, and means operated by the engine for rupturing said part to permit the escape of pressure.

7 An ignition mechanism for an automobile torpedo comprising a shell, a movable part therein, means for admitting fluid pressure thereto on opposite sides of said part, a frangible part adapted to confine the pressure on one side thereof, and means operated by the engine for rupturing said part to permit the escape of pressure.

8. An ignition mechanism for an automobile torpedo comprising a shell, a plunger therein, means for admitting fluid pressure to opposite sides of said plunger, a frangible part communicating Witi one side thereof, and means for rupturing said part.

9. An ignition, mechanism for an automobile torpedo comprising a shell, a plunger therein, a passage for admitting compressed air to the under side thereof, a restricted communication admitting com ressed air to the upper side thereof, a frangi )le part communicating with said upper side, and means for rupturing said part.

10. An ignition mechanism for an automobile torpedo comprising a pressure-actuated movable part, a frangible capsule adapted to confine the pressure, a movable knife. adapted to puncture said capsule, and a connection with the engine for moving said knife. I

In witness whereof, I- have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK M. LEAVIT'I. 

